Ai no Melody
by Rockstar with a Vendetta
Summary: A chronicle of Keladry and Faleron as they traverse through their first year of marriage, with all of its ups and downs and joys and fears and, above all, unbreakable love.
1. Honeymoon

**Goldenlake is hosting a Decathlon for the month of July! This is where members can claim a character and/or couple, and then must complete a series of given prompts for their choice. It's a massive amount of fun, and everyone's stories are exquisite and of incredible quality. Anyone can participate, so come join - you have until the end of the month to claim and complete your very own Decathlon! :D A link to Goldenlake can be found on my profile.**

**My couple: Kel/Faleron. **

**This piece was written for the 100 word dash.**

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><p>For the first time in years, Keladry woke up to the singing of the exotic, colorful birds in the Yamani Islands. For the first time in—well, for the first time ever, Keladry woke up next to her husband, who stretched beside her with his slow, lazy grin.<p>

"Hello, love," Faleron said. "I must say, you have great connections. I never knew the emperor's guests of honor slept in such luxurious beds. Can we get married more often?"

"Depends on what I get in return," Kel said archly.

He slyly grinned again and drawled, "Oh, I can think of something..."


	2. Three Little Words

**This piece was written for the 110 word hurdles in which the character/couple's names can't be mentioned.**

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><p><em>I love you.<em>

one

two

three

little words that made her heart flutter sweetly and seemed to make her arms go around his neck of their own volition. He said it often, in front of friends and family and strangers, and it never seemed to lose its meaning; she could see the truth in his soft dark eyes, feel it in his rough dark hands.

_I love you, too, husband_, she would say back, and it warmed her all over to see how his eyes shined.

There was no greater gift than knowing that she could make him glow as brightly as the unwavering flame he lit within her heart.


	3. My Hair and Your Eyes

**This piece was written for the 400 word dash.**

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><p>The press of Faleron's warm body as Kel curled up against him under the covers was sweet enough, but it was the gentle caress of his fingers in her hair that was lulling her to sleep. She was slipping away to their rhythm when he murmured, "What color hair do you think they'll have?"<p>

"Who?" she asked sleepily.

"Our children. Will they have mine, or yours?"

"Mmm. I hope dark, like yours, and just as silky. If we have a girl, I don't think I'll be able to resist putting a ribbon or two in it."

"As long as she has your eyes," he said. "With your lashes. And your mouth." He kissed her sweetly on the lips, as though to prove how much he loved it. "Actually, on second thought, no; I couldn't handle all the boys who'd be kissing her."

Kel snorted. "She's never going to have any friends."

"She'll be a pretty thing, though," Faleron said dreamily. "Tall and dark, with a face like yours and, of course, my exquisite physique—"

"Hey," she giggled, pinching his shoulder. "Our daughter is going to—wait, what are we _doing_?" She bolted upright, horrified. "Are we talking about _children_?"

Faleron blinked. "Well...yes."

Throwing the covers off, to Faleron's protests, she jumped out of bed and whirled to face him. "I can't have children," she sputtered. "We can't—I'm not—I'm only twenty-four, and I have all these things I have to do, and—"

"Kel—"

"I _do_ want children someday, Fal, I really do—I'd love to have your babies—but not _now_. You want to go off and have adventures and lead people, and I want to go off and have adventures and lead people, and—"

"_Kel_—"

"—and neither of us can do that if we have all these _babies_—"

"_Keladry_."

She closed her mouth as he rested his hands on her shoulders, his expression exasperated. "It was just musings," Faleron said. "I certainly don't want a baby _now_. What would I do with it? Put it in my saddlebag while I go hack at some bandits?"

Kel winced at the image. "I would hope not."

"We were only married last month—I want to enjoy _you_ for awhile." He kissed her brow. "But it doesn't mean we can't daydream, right? Now, come back to bed or put some clothes on. It's hard to concentrate when you're naked."


	4. Sleeptalking

**This piece was written for the single sentence shot put.**

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><p>"But I don't <em>want<em> you to stick it there," Kel protested, and Faleron just sighed; she said the damnedest things in her sleep.


	5. Marital Affairs

**This piece was written for the 4x100 word relay, in which four 100-word drabbles are written with the themes envy, greed, lust, and pride.**

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><p><strong>I. Envy<strong>

It was not in Faleron to be a resentful man, not even in his boyhood when he faced those bandits and failed to take charge. He was grateful that Kel was there; if not for her, they would have died. Now they were married, and well-matched in more ways than one—she was his partner in marriage and in bed, and she was also his sparring partner. He could never beat her, but she could not beat him, either.

And yet—he was not the commander that she was...and he could not help but envy her for that.

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><p><strong>II. Greed <strong>

Kel knew she was not the most beautiful woman, or sweetest, or funniest; that rarely bothered her, though, because above all she was practical, and she knew, quite well, that Faleron loved her for who she was.

Still, he was ridiculously handsome, unfailingly sweet, and could bring her to tears from laughing so hard. So, yes, sometimes—sometimes she felt inadequate. And sometimes she was jealous at the lovely ladies who fawned over him. She was being a selfish wife, but he was _hers_. She didn't want to share him.

She couldn't help that she wanted him all to herself.

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><p><strong>III. Lust<strong>

Other married knights said that coming home to their wives after a long assignment away often ended in passionate lovemaking in bed, but Faleron was pretty sure his marriage beat all of them—mostly because their passionate lovemaking occurred whether they had been apart or not, and...wasn't always actually _in bed_.

If they were at a ball, for example, she would slyly sneak out, and he would follow not long after. He would find her in the library, in the gardens, a stairwell or niche, and they would have their own private affair, so to speak.

He wasn't complaining.

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><p><strong>IV. Pride<strong>

Neal said it was disgusting how they never fought (though Yuki just snapped him over the head with her fan and told him he was just mad that he never won their fights), but he had no idea about the arguments late at night, the mean words that were heatedly exchanged or the stubborn tears held back. They argued about petty things, because they were tired and pressured and it seemed like everyone wanted too much from them, including each other.

But they always said sorry, and kissed, and embraced each other tightly. They were not too proud for that.


	6. Falling Apart

**This piece was written for the Donkey Discus, in which the fic must contain an unexpected plot twist.**

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><p>Kel was scared and she wanted Faleron here with her, but he would not be returning for another week, give or take a couple days, and she was <em>sick<em>. It was more than the sniffles or a stomach ailment, though that's what she assumed it was in the beginning. She suspected differently now. That was how she ended up at the infirmary door, knocking urgently.

"Keladry," Baird said when he opened the door, looking surprised, "it's good to see you." Then he took a closer look at her haggard face, with its black-ringed eyes and wounded mouth, and said quietly, "Or perhaps not. You look ill, my dear. Come in."

He closed the door behind her and guided her to a bed, urging her to sit. His hands were gentle, and Kel already felt soothed by his touch.

"Now," he said kindly, "what seems to be the problem?"

"I don't—I don't _know_," she said, and then, to her horror, she began to cry. Baird seemed to conjure a handkerchief out of nowhere and he pressed it to her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I feel ridiculous—I don't even know what I'm crying about."

"Don't be silly," he admonished. "It's frightening when your body is sick and you don't know why. Just take a breath, and tell me your symptoms."

Kel inhaled deeply, and then exhaled, trying to catch her breath. "It started a couple weeks ago, I think. I started having these headaches, and I was nauseous all the time, and I started swelling—"

"Where were you swelling?"

"My feet and legs, mostly. A bit in my hands."

"I see. Go on."

"The headaches are worse now and I get dizzy all the time. My sight's blurry, I'm seeing spots, my chest hurts—I'm worried that it's going to get worse."

"Have you gained weight? Missed your monthlies?"

"I've noticed my clothes fit tighter, but I was trying these new exercises the Lioness taught me. I assumed I was gaining muscle. And my monthlies are a lot lighter, but they have disappeared completely..."

Baird was frowning fiercely. "Keladry, is there a chance you may be pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" Kel sputtered, flushing. "I don't—I don't think so. I always wear a pregnancy charm. I have several, and I keep them on my bedside table, because I'll take it off at night...I suppose it's possible I forgot to put it on one morning, or, or it fell off during a fight, or—Your Grace, am I _pregnant_?"

"If you can't say for certain that you're not, it seems likely." Still, Baird didn't seem happy for her. In fact, he seemed disturbed. "However, the symptoms you're describing—they're indicative of a complication. It sounds like you had a condition called pre-eclampsia, and I fear it may have developed into full-blown—_Keladry_—"

Baird caught her before she hit the ground, convulsing violently in his arms.


End file.
